Improvement in the construction of cannons and fire-arms



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

N. A, PATTERSON. Muzzle-Loading Ordnance.

No. 40,498. Patented Nov. 3, 1863.

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w uzzle-Loading Ordnance.

No 40,498. Patented Nov. 3, 1863.

.NETVTUN A. PATTERSON, OF KINGSTON, TENNESSEE.

'IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CANNONS AND FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming partofLetters Patent. No. dmdfis, dated November 3, 1863.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, NEw'roN A. PATTER- soN, of Kingston, in the county of ltoane and State of Tennessee, have invented a certain new and Improved Mode of Constructing Ordnance and other Fire-Arms; and 1 do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure 1 may represent a rear or transverse sectional view ol'a partly-formed cannon. Figs. 2 and 3 are plans of the same, illustrating diffcrent modifications of the invention. Fig. 4 is a plan of a cannon turned off, ready for the reception of the trunnion-band.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

My-invention consists, essentially, in forming a gun oft-wo metals of unequal hardness or fusibility, laid togetherin sheets, with a suitable flux, coiled upon a mandrel, either solid or tubular, and subjected to heat, which will fuse the softer metal and cause it to form a bond between the coils of the harder metal, and unite the whole in one mass. As the harder metal, I propose to use any suitable description of tough iron or steel; as the softer metal, copper, tin, zinc, silver, gold, or other suit-able metal, or compound of metals. The invention is not restricted to any specific metals; but any metals 'may be used which will fuse at different temperatures. The plates or sheets are polished to a bright surface, and, when so prepared, are placed together, and are passed or drawn by considerable force between two friction-cylinders, and are rolled on and tightly around either a solid or hollow cylinder, which hollow cylinder is placed on and firmly locked to a solid cylinder or mandrel, placed in a horizontal position, and revolved by strong gearing, the plates being wound under and around the mandrel. The resisting action of the friction-cylinders will be such as to roll the plates on very closely, and as the rolling process goes on, finely-pulverized borax or other material to form a flux is evenly sifted on the surface of the upper plate.

In order that others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains may be e11- abled to fully understand and use the same, I will proceed to describe several modes of carrying it into effect, taking, for illustration,

steel and brass, which are the metals that I believe to be best adapted for the construction of ordnance.

A represents a sheet of tough steel or other metal of any suitable thickness, and B a sheet of brass, which may bemuch thinner than the steel, its ofiice being to form a bond between the coils of steel. The said sheets are polished to a bright surface, and laid to gether with the steel uppermost, and, by means of a mandrel, M, rotated by any suitable power, a-nd rollers N N, to maintain the requisite tension, are coiled as tightly as possible in the form represented in Fig. 1, upon a cylinder or tube, 0, constructed of wrought or cast iron or steel, or other metal, of suitable dimensions to form the bore of the gun, and firmly fixed upon the mandrel M.

According to the plan illustrated in Fig. 2, the sheets are made of such length that the continuous coil from end to end will produce the required thickness of meta-l for the breech of the gun and tapering in width equal at one end to the entire length of the gun and at the other to the length required for the strongest part of the breech. It will thus be apparent that by coiling from the wide to the narrow end a cylindrical bore is first produced, and one or two coils complete the muzzle of the gun, while successive coils of the narrowing plates produce the gradually-increasin g thick-c ness of metal from muzzle to breech, as required for strength.

In the illustration given in Fig. 3 the metal is used in parallel-sided strips or sheets of much less width and greater length. These are coiled back and forth on the mandrel from end to end,a greater number of coils being laid toward the breech to impart the increased strength necessary atthat part.

If preferred, the brass or other softer metal may be previously fused onto the surface of the steel or other harder metal, and the metals thus united applied in one connected sheet.

The finishing ends of the plates are firmly secured by means of screw-bolts, extending down through several thicknesses of plate. The trunnions are then set in or on by banding, or in any other suitable way known to the art. The barrel thus formed may be removed from the mandrel, or the latter bored out and the ends of the several thicknesses of plates upset by hammering, so as to form a continuous steel surface. The barrel is then placedin a chimney-furnace in an upright position, the

breech down, and brought to a sufficient heat to fuse the softer metal, when the body will be formed into a compact and firm mass, the breech (ifany difference exist) having the advantage in closeness of texture. The barrel will now be ready for the finishing-lathe. The thin, hollow cylinder forming the inner surface of the barrel may of course be left open for a breech-loader, or closed with a solid plug, closely fitting, or by means of a screw, for a muzzle-loader. Thehollow cylinder may be rifled in advance, or said cylinder may be dispensed with, and the plates rolled onto the surface of the mandrel, the steel plate forming the inner surface. The edge of the sheet metal must be scarfed, to avoid the formation of an abrupt ridge on the interior, and may be attached to the mandrel orhollowcylinder by soldering, riveting, or bolting, or by other adequate means. If soldered directly to the solid mandrel .and coiled thereon without the interposition of a hollow cylinder, the mandrel may be released by the heating of the the mass after the coiling is completed,and when so released may be drawn out. It preferred, the brass or other soft metal maybe thicker than the steel, thelatter being coiled in the manner described within the mass of brass to strengthen a solid-brass gun. For banding guns already made, the sheets are applied in substantially similar manner, the gun being centered in a lathe or otherwise connected with suitable gearing by which it can be rotated with adequate force to coil the plates upon 1t. In this case, and in other instances, if preferred, the heat may be applied beneath the plates during the process of coiling and at a point close to and beneath the gun or the coiled portion, the steel or harder metal being underneath and the softer metal on top, and the flux sifted on in the manner before explained. By this means the softer metal may be melted, so as to combine the coils of harder metal firmly together in the act of coiling.

Among the advantages of this invention are the following First, by this mode of manufacture steel, iron, or other strong metal is secured in its toughest state or condition; second, a barrel thus formed of harder and softer metals combined will possess more than twice the power of resistance, compared with the forged or cast barrel; third, by reason of the superior resisting-power, the weight or thickness of barrel may be reduced one-half, for field service or purposes of transportation, and for siege purposes, by employing the usual thickness of barrel, a greatly superior projectile force may be safely employed, giving thereby either superior range or superior weight of projectiles; fourth, by my improvement a larger caliber may be safely and efficiently attained; fifth, the cheapness and facility of manufacture according to this mode give it important advantages over other modes now generally practiced; sixth, the invention is very valuable for banding guns already made.

Having thus described my invention, I wish it distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the details herein laid down, but propose to vary the same as circumstances or experience may render desirable.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The process of constructing or strengthening ordnance or other firearms by coiling sheets of different metals, adapted to fuse at different temperatures, upon or around a mandrel or cylinder or the barrel or breech of the gun and uniting the coils of harder metal by the. fusing of the softer meta-l, substantially as l ereinbr f ire ex l lined.

NEWTON, A. PATTERSON.

Witnesses:

CHARLES SMITH, OCTAVIUS KNIGHT. 

